


Strange Bedfellows

by Riyshn



Category: Blue Beetle (Comics), Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-02
Updated: 2013-11-03
Packaged: 2017-12-28 05:17:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/988139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riyshn/pseuds/Riyshn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hal Jordan and Kilowag break into the Spider Guild prison, they expect to leave with one extra passenger at the most. They certainly don't expect to stumble across a displaced human teenager or end up leaving with a Scarab Warrior of the Reach, in addition to the Red Lantern they sought to rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, I've been up for over 50 hours now, and I'm probably going to be horrified by this in the morning, but right now I don't care. This is the first time in years that I've been able to write coherently/sequentially on something vaguely long enough to call it a complete chapter, and I want to get it posted.
> 
> Anyway. The first part of this story is probably going to follow GL:TaS pretty closely, if just because the major events of Season 1 are already mostly in motion by the time the series starts, and short of doing something drastic like prematurely blowing up Shard, I don't see many places to really change events. Season 2 however, is much more open.
> 
> (Hm, formatting's a bit weird. Will see about fixing tomorrow.)

“Approaching Spider Guild-run asteroid prison.” The mechanical voice of Aya sounded through the Green Lantern Corps ship Interceptor. “Warning: Reach infiltrator unit detected within the prison.”

 

Both present Green Lanterns were instantly on high alert at that bit of news.

 

“Reach infiltrator?” demanded Kilowog, “You're saying there's a Scarab Warrior in there?”

 

There was a short pause before the ship's AI spoke again, “Unknown. At this distance, it is impossible to tell if the infiltrator unit has found a compatible organic host, though activity levels indicate that it has not.”

 

That wasn't exactly comforting, but... “Ok, that's not too bad then,” Hal Jordan tried optimistically, “If it doesn't have a host we don't have to worry about it. We're in and out to drop off Razer, and then we leave and can forget we ever knew about it. If it's still here, that means it either can't find a host, or whatever security they have here is good enough to keep it locked down. Either way, it's not our problem.”

 

* * *

 

 

Pale yellow light from strange crystalline growths were all that lit the caverns inside the asteroid as Kilowog and Hal sneaked past the patrolling Spider Guild guards. Finally they came to a fork in the path.

 

Hal turned to his partner and indicated a nearby doorway into one of the prison cells. “Hey, maybe we should check out the accommodations?”

 

Both Lanterns landed and walked through the opening, the door closing behind them.

 

“Well, there's no view,” Hal joked, eyes sweeping the room before he zeroed in on the figure bound, struggling to the fixture on the opposite side of the room. “But there's clearly entertainment. For the guards, anyway.”

 

Kilowog wasn't so easily convinced. “You don't know he's being tortured. This might be part of the rehabilitation Myglom talked about.”

 

The figure bound to the large cross with a mechanical halo sitting around his head seemed to be unconscious, though that didn't stop him from thrashing against the restraints, muttering repeatedly about “...no... 419...399... ...no... I'm sorry... My fault. ...I'm sorry...”

 

“Kilowog, he's human. What's a kid from Earth doing in a prison way out here in Frontier Space?”

 

“It's a prison, Hal. No idea how he got here, but he must have done something if he's locked up in here.”' The larger Lantern shivered, glancing around the room and up at the yellow stalactites hanging from the ceiling warily, “Can we get gong? These yellow stones are everywhere; they make my skin crawl.”

 

Hal Jordan frowned, “I don't think I've ever seen you scared before.”

 

Insulted, Kilowog rounded on his partner, “I ain't scared of no rocks!”

 

Hal backed off, looking up at the hanging crystals himself for a moment before agreeing with his friend. “Let's get out of here.”

 

They turned to leave, but before they could get more than a few steps, the door opened form the other side, revealing a group of guards waiting just outside. Both Green Lanterns prepared to fight their way out, but with their rings suddenly failing them and the odds six-to-two against them, it was a very short fight before they were both taken down.

 

* * *

 

 

The pulse of green energy surged through the tunnels, sticking mostly to the path of least resistance described by the circuitry inlaid in the walls, before it came to a large concentration of yellow crystals and was unable to continue any farther. It paused for barely a second before reversing course, beginning it's search for one individual that it knew should be here. One who might be willing to help.

 

The first cell it checked did not have the individual it was searching for. Human. Young. An interesting anomaly, given the circumstances, but ultimately irrelevant to the mission. The second, third and forth rooms were the same, either empty or holding unknowns who couldn't be trusted to help find the Interceptor’s missing crew. It wasn't until the fifth room that the energy found the object of it's search, and injected itself into the simulation created by the mechanical halo.

 

Meanwhile, back in the first room, a second presence had awoken in response to the unexpected visitor.

 

**Significant quantity of Green energy detected / initializing Green Lantern Defense/Annihilation protocols.**

 

**No. Override. Current state of host [Jaime Reyes]: critical.**

 

**Assuming full musculoskeletal control of host unit.**

 

**Sorry, Jaime Reyes.**

 

The bound human suddenly quieted, his entire body going still. Almost immediately blue and black armor began to cover his body, spreading outward from his torso until no flesh could be seen.

 

The armor around his right wrist began to bulk up, thickening until it burst out of the restraint. The armor quickly slimmed down again and it tore the halo from it's head before reaching over to free it's left hand and then doing the same with it's legs. The blue armored form stood under it's own power for the first time in several weeks, examining it's surroundings carefully. Excessive amounts of Yellow Aurrem in the immediate vicinity – the source of Green energy that had activated the Green Lantern protocols must have been massive indeed to have made it here undiminished.

 

A matter for another time. For now the highest priority must be the recovery of the organic host. And for that, safety from the radiation put off by the Yellow Aurrem was needed. It turned and began walking, ignoring the door in favor of forming a plasma cannon around it's right hand and blasting it's way through walls, always heading toward what sensors said was the lowest concentration of Yellow radiation in the local area.

 

Eventually it found a landing bay with a ship sitting in it. Unknown model, though design consistent with technology of the Green Lantern Corps. It would have to do. The armored form walked up the lowered entrance ramp, surprised when a ship so obviously designed by the Green Lanterns did not react immediately to it's presence. It searched the ship, eventually finding it's way to the bridge. All power to navigation systems seemed to be disengaged, but that wasn't a true problem. It could begin repairs and recovery of the host now, protected from the radiation by the hull shielding of the ship.

 

It wasn't long before the armor's audio sensors detected movement outside the ship. Four voices, moving up the entrance ramp and into the ship. The armored form backed into a corner, attempting to hide in the shadow under a console at least until the ship had taken off.

 

That plan was quickly ruined when all the consoles in the room powered on at the same time, and a synthesized female voice sounded throughout the ship, “Systems online. Warning: active Reach Infiltrator unit detected on the bridge.”

 

Two figures immediately rushed through the door into the bridge, the larger of the two spotting it first and aiming his ring it it's direction with a command to come out from under the console. It complied, moving out to the center of the room, though it remained sitting rather than stand in an attempt to appear less hostile.

 

“I do not seek to harm anyone aboard this vessel,” it spoke, startling the smaller Lantern into lowering his ring. That one was human, apparently recognized the host's voice and native languages for what they were. “My presence here has resulted in unacceptable psychological and physiological trauma to my host, and minor damage to several of my own systems. I require safety away from the Yellow light to effect repairs.” It turned it's head, now visibly speaking directly to the human Lantern, “You. You will care for my host while repairs and healing are underway.”

 

With that the armor retreated, entering a self repair cycle and trusting that the honor of this Green Lantern matched that of Green Lantern Guy Gardner and would not allow harm to come to a child, even one associated with the Reach.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This really shouldn't have taken me so long to write, especially not with how short it is (950 words). Sorry about that. I blame GameStop for selling me Tales of Xillia.

When the Warrior's armor retreated, the crew of the Interceptor were left surprised to see the same human prisoner Hal and Kilowog had stumbled across in their exploration of the asteroid.

 

Though, Hal was pretty sure the kid had been wearing clothes last time they saw him.

 

The boy whimpered, curling into a loose ball on the floor of the bridge before squinting up at them. “Oh. Green Lanterns... I really hope that's a good thing right now.”

 

Hal tried to put on a reassuring smile and knelt down to put a comforting hand on the kid's shoulder, “Yeah kid, it's a good thing.” He heard Kilowog groan behind him, but pressed on, “We'll get you fixed up. Whatever we can do to help.”

 

“Hal!”

 

Hal pointedly ignored his friend, helping the younger human to stand. “Come on. What's your name, kid?”

 

“Jaime,” came the quite answer, and Hal realized he was trying not to cry, “Jaime Reyes. And Khaji Da.”

 

“No!” Kilowog would not stand by any longer. “Hal, you cant do this! You can't just bring a Reach agent onto the Interceptor!”

 

Hal frowned and opened his mouth to respond, but Jaime beat him to it. “Not Reach,” he said quietly, confusing both Green Lanterns. “I'm not... We're not with the Reach. Scarab was damaged a long time ago, knocked out of Reach control.”

 

“Great!” Hal said, leading Jaime out of the room, “Now that that's settled, Aya, we still have a room available in the crew quarters, right?”

 

The humans left the room, leaving Kilowog and Razer alone on the bridge. Razer looked after the two before closing a fist around his ring and turning to Kilowog. “Without my ring's universal translator, I have no idea what the kid was saying, but what is the Reach?”

 

“Slavers!” Kilowog growled, “Conquerors, tyrants, and slavers!”

 

“The Reach are an intergalactic empire,” elaborated Aya, “They seed developing planets with infiltrator Scarab units, which then seek out an organic host to act as a sleeper agent, weakening the local government and infrastructure from the inside. Usual tactic includes introducing chemicals to water or food supplies that eventually cause addiction or suggestibility in entire populations, effectively creating a slave race. They are also an ancient enemy of the Guardians of the Universe, having fought to a draw thousands of years ago before a treaty was agreed on. A single Reach warrior operating at maximum efficiency would be capable of destroying this ship and everyone on it.”

 

Razer frowned, the similarities hitting a bit close to home, “I see. Then wouldn't it be safer to just remove the Scarab from the host?”

 

Kilowag shook his head ruefully. “Heh, I wish it was that easy. Removing the Scarab does too much damage to the host. No one's ever survived it.”

 

 

Jaime Reyes lay curled up on the bed in the room the Green Lantern had led him too, trying to focus on the pain in his limbs to distract himself from the memories the kept repeating in his head. He knew Khaji Da had had a good reason for taking control like that, but it was still never fun when the damaged Scarab took control of his body by force.

 

He eventually unfolded himself and lay on his back, palms pressed to his eyes. “Scarab, you're being quiet.” Indeed, the Scarab's presence in the back of his mind, while seemingly chaotic as ever with constant data input from both external sensors and system scans, and constant calculations and scenarios being run, seemed... distant.

 

His answer came, not in words composed into sentences, but rather as a particular piece of data pushed forward from the chaotic mass of streaming information.

 

**Status / Host Unit [Jaime Reyes]**

**-High levels of residual Yellow radiation**

**-Minor damage to major muscle groups / Cause = Electrical discharge**

 

**Status / Scarab [Khaji Da]**

**-[5] systems operating at reduced efficiency**

**\--Neural interface [24%]**

**\---Full repair impossible / Extensive damage caused by direct exposure to nonrational energies**

**\--Life support [7%]**

**\--Translation matrix**

**\---Active systems [0%]**

**\---Passive systems [100%]**

**\--Matter synthesizer [16%]**

**\--Weapon systems [43%]**

 

**Active task**

**-System repair**

**\--Life Support**

 

**Maintenance queue**

**1 / Matter synthesizer**

**2 / Neural interface**

**3 / …**

 

A voice chimed out of nowhere, shocking him out of the datastream. Pushing himself up into a siting position, he looked around the room, confused when he couldn't find a source for the voice. “Who's there?”

 

“I am Aya, the navigational computer aboard this vessel. Before releasing you from the armor, the Infiltrator mentioned damage to both itself and you. I would like to run a scan to assess the extent of that damage.”

 

Jaime scanned the room, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. “I can tell you most of that myself, actually.”

 

“I am sorry, but until your claim that you are not slave to the Reach is verified, nothing you say can be trusted.” The voice paused, and the green energy conduits around the walls of the room began to glow brighter, “I apologize in advance; I do not know what side effects might emerge from the meeting of my scans with Reach technology. This may hurt.”

 

Jaime opened his mouth to protest at this new piece of information, but it was too late. The walls had already grown bright enough to bathe the entire room in green light. He felt a brief wordless impression of panic from his connection with the Scarab, before that was suddenly cut off. Shortly after, his body fell unmoving backwards onto the bed, Jaime now as cut off from his own body as Khaji Da was from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, does anyone know how to make AO3 stop double spacing everything when I copy the story text in? That's really annoying.
> 
> I'm not sure I'm happy with this chapter, but I can't find anything I actually dislike to change, so... I dunno. Maybe it's just because nothing really actually happens. I know it's a bit short, but I wanted to end it here so the next episode I'm gonna cover (Heir Apparent) can have it's own chapter.
> 
> Pretty sure I've worked out the rules for Khaji Da's syntax. I doubt it will ever get to be massive things like this again, but expect lots from him, at least when Jaime is the PoV character. I'm gong to try to get him developed a bit more by the time Season 2 happens with Aya's "do I count as a person?" thing, and besides that from Jaime's perspective he really is a major character, even if no one else usually hears him.

**Author's Note:**

> And the hardest character to write is the freakin' death machine. Note to self, introduce dual characters by name in the future before trying to differentiate who is acting by descriptions alone.


End file.
